Sunday, April 5, 2009

Electric Touch Interview

Austin-based group Electric Touch has been tearing up the music scene in the last year. After making appearances at a number of music festivals this summer, and releasing their self titled debut this August, Electric Touch will be on the road supporting the Fratellis until October, including a show at Austin City Limits Music Festival. Front-man Shane Lawlor answered a few quick questions about the band.

How'd you come up with the name Electric Touch?

We were throwing some different ideas around then, inspired by "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess, we thought of Electric Touch. We think of it as a paradox or an oxymoron, and the literal definition of the words is as follows:

Electric (e-lec-tric) - adjective; thrilling, exciting, stirring

Touch (tuh-ch) - verb; to affect with feeling or emotion

That being said, on first hearing the name most people think Electric Touch reminds them of a vibrator. Go figure! Ha ha!

What or who has had the biggest influence on your music?

We draw inspiration from all around us, from music we love, television, films, newspapers, stories we've heard, episodes we've been through, dreams we have, and above all life and love. Art imitates life and we think of our music as Tales from ordinary life in glorious Technicolor.

What's the most rock-star thing you have done on tour?

I wear a brand new pair of underwear for every show. That's about as rock-star as we get. We are not rock stars in ivory towers and are huge fans of music - we are normally the ones at the front of the stage watching bands play. The past year has been a whirlwind, from our first recordings, to getting signed to playing SXSW, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Summerfest, Toronto's V festival, and now on tour with the fantastic Fratellis with our brand new debut album.

What's been the biggest challenge in your musical career?

The biggest challenge so far was deciding which songs to leave off the album. That was a tough one!

What's been the biggest highlight?

Every day is a highlight. Hitting the stage at Lollapalooza was amazing - there were thousands of people there and we loved every second of it! Holding our debut record in our hands was a dream come true. Just being able to play our music to appreciative, wonderful people all over the country is an amazing experience.

Which band(s) do you dream of going on tour with?

We'd love to tour with Aerosmith, Oasis, Green Day, Kiss…those amazing stadium bands that put on fantastic shows night after night. Newer bands that we admire and would love to tour with are Arctic Monkeys, and of course The Fratellis who we are currently on the road with.

Why should we pick up your debut album?

It's fresh and exciting. It's honest and true. It's music to dance to, to feel good about, and to really enjoy time and time again. There's no filler and we think it's never been done before, not like we do it. We are at the start of something amazing and you can share that by picking up a copy of the record...you wont be disappointed.